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Eric Bischoff's beginnings in the wrestling business
So, how did Eric Bischoff get this job, anyway?
In 1993, following the resignation of EVP and head booker "Cowboy" Bill Watts, the higher ups at World Championship Wrestling had a big decision to make. Since the purchase of the company by Ted Turner in 1989, the company had been run by outside executives - who had no experience in the wrestling world. In fact, Turner's first pick to run the promotion was a former Pizza Hut manager by the name of Jim Herd.
Watts, on the other hand, was a wrestling guy through and through. A former wrestler himself, he also ran the now-defunct Universal Wrestling Association before it was bought by Jim Crockett Promotions, which was then bought by Ted Turner.
However, some of his changes to the product (like banning moves from the top rope) were extremely unpopular with both the fans and the performers. No, seriously. Also, a racially-tinged interview he gave before getting hired was extremely unpopular with, well, just about everybody who wasn't "Cowboy" Bill Watts.
WCW executives had to then make a choice. They didn't want a complete outsider to take the reins, but they also didn't want an old-school wrestling type like Watts leading things, either. Could they find someone that was a happy medium between those two? They did, and it was… C-show announcer Eric Bischoff?
He had come from the American Wrestling Association, originally starting with the Minnesota-based promotion as a sales executive. So there was one box checked for Eric Bischoff.
While there, he was asked at the last minute to fill in to do some on-screen interviews. After all, Eric Bischoff was photogenic and was already wearing a suit. That led to a career in wrestling broadcasting that continued even after the AWA, as he was hired by WCW soon after. Second box? Check.
So, how'd that work out? As it turns out, pretty damn well.
